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Miners Meeting at Audley 1880
Researched by John Lumsdon
On Thursday evening 22nd January 1880 a crowded meeting of miners was held in a large tent adjoining the King’s Head Inn, Audley. Mr. A. Hinkley presided, and in his opening remarks alluded to the dreadful calamity at the Fair Lady pit, Leycett. It was, he said, a sad misfortune, and many homes would be left desolate.
Mr. T.D. Matthias addressed the meeting at some length, he urged the men to keep well united together, not for the purpose of creating a disturbance in the district and baffling their employers and injuring the trade, but to talk with one another and reason upon the real state of the country and avoid making mistakes and committing great blunders. His mind had very much changed with how working men should act. It was right to secure at all times the highest wages that could be obtained by all reasonable measures but when they make a demand for an advance they must endeavour to prove by stubborn facts that they were fairly entitled to the wages they asked for. He had come to the conclusion that strikes among workmen of every class should be avoided as much as possible, and especially in districts like North Staffordshire, where the masters were willing at all times to meet with workmen in conference with a view to discussing the state of tradeand other important questions.
In his address to the orderly meeting Mr. Brown (miners’ agent) said they must be very careful how they acted in the future and not to take any unwise steps. They had all met under unfavourable circumstancesit appeared that the earth had been shaken for miles round by the terrible explosion in the Fair Lady pit, Leycett about half past eight on Wednesday morning. This saddening effect had been felt at Wood Lane, Black Lane, Halmerend and Alsagers Bank. Wood Lane would be three miles from the ill fated pit as the crow flew and if the effects could be felt three miles from the spot where the explosion occurred what the blast in the workings would be no tongues could tell and no one could describe.
When he and Mr. Matthias arrived at the pit that morning, they met with hundreds of relatives and friends of those who had perished in the mine on the previous day. Although the number of persons about the pit was great there was no noise. Every heart appeared to be filled with grief, and every cheek turned pale. Over 50 bodies had been brought to the surface when they left the pit and it was said that more than 20 had not been recovered. Many sad stories had been told about some of the unfortunate men. Mr. Greener had only been down a few minutes that morning and he had only been manager of that pit for a short time, his son went down with him and they both perished together.
One person, Dave Johnson, had, it was said, changed shifts with his mate. Had he not done so, his life would have been spared, and in all probability his mate would have been down at the time of the explosion.
Many persons would wonder what the cause of the explosion was, he, (Mr. Brown) knew the first cause, and that was the gas had not been diluted and rendered harmless. Many persons charged the colliers everywhere with recklessness and fool hardiness. He was not going to set up a defence for the miners, nor was he going to blame upon them. He had heard that Mr. Greener had made many alternations during the time he had been manager. He had set about improving the ventilation and that in itself was a proof clear enough that the ventilation had not been adequate, to dilute and render harmless the great quantity of gas that was constantly being given off. Many families were left un-provided for. The hearts of widows and fatherless children were overwhelmed with grief. The bread winners had been un-expectantly taken away from them. During the day his memory had been refreshed, by many such calamities which happened years ago. (He gave a number of examples) Coal mining was a risky business, both for capitalists and miners. During the depression in the coal trade, millions of money had been lost and thousands of precious lives had been sacrificed.
When he looked at the grand engines of the most modern makes and the costly machinery which were about many of the collieries he thought it was a great pity that all the skill, capital, and men who worked above and below ground should be so badly remunerated for their labour. It was generally said that miners ought to be more intelligent, and more careful, and act more wisely, while at work, and he said “ditto.” If the mining population generally was more intelligent, the more valued their abilities and lives would be.
Coal would not be hawked or given away at the price it had been sold at. The nations of the earth would not have their fuel and iron at such easy prices, while the collier and iron-stone getter and the mine owners were at their wits end, the former not knowing where to get bread and clothing for their families and the latter many times up to the chin in financial difficulties. Mr. Brown urged his audience to be careful while at work. They should never forget that in most of their seams of coal the old enemy gas, was not far off.He knew that it was utterly impossible for the colliers who had to earn an existence at the present low scale of wages, to spare time to take as much care as was really needed under certain circumstances.
Even some masters who were not bad in their way considered that a loader was well paid at 3p halfpennyper ton. A loader would have to load 18 tons for 5s 3d, that would give the public some idea how a collier had to work and earn his bread. The hewers engaged in heading, drifting, holing and other kinds of underground work were being badly paid for their labour even now, and many coal owners and capitalists who had speculated large sums of money in coal and ironstone mines were having very little interest on their capital. Surely such an anomaly would not continue much longer.
Amongst the whole mining community of Britain and other nations there could be found thousands of readers and thinkers, a great amount of intelligence existed amongst them. It appeared to be bottled up; nevertheless it was there, and the time would come when railway companies, and steam packet companies and all manufacturers, would not be masters of the situation, as they appeared to be at the present time.
The miners who worked the coal in the United States many times complained bitterly about the hardness of their lot, and the harsh treatment they received at the hands of the “Boss.” The meeting would expect to hear something about the advance of wages that had just been applied for. Himself and their committee would do all they could to obtain an advance at the earliest opportunity. One thing he desired to impress upon their minds viz., they had not given notice to leave their work, nor did they intend doing so. The highest wages the coal and iron trades could afford would be got for them without lying the pits idle for a single moment. Many un-thoughtful and inexperienced colliers were now finding fault with their employers for making large contracts for low prices; but who amongst the colliers found fault with a great contract that found work for months to come during the period of depression?
It would be unreasonable in the extreme for the miners’ of North Staffordshire to throw their employers on their beam ends, after 5 years of hard struggling and in many cases suffering great financial losses in order to keep their works going and find employment and some wages for their workmen. The coal and iron trades wanted altering and reforming but the improvements required would never be got by striking, pining, staving and destroying capital. Neither masters nor workmen would have more than anything by making the thing they desired to obtain less that it had any need to be.
The cream of North Staffordshire appear to have found out a better way of obtaining advances of wages than the old association had been able to find out. The “cream” would not only ask for an advance, but they would have it.
The old association had made application for further advance, and they would have it if they could get it, but the old association did not intend to threaten their employers to bring out their tools and let the wages go for a time altogether. The “cream” might take any action it thought fit. The old association would take equal right to act as they thought fit. The old association did not believe in strikes and poverty but they did believe in getting at all times the highest wage at all times the state of the coal and iron markets warranted them having. The old association could well understand that there might be some differences in the prices of coal and iron quoted and reported though the newspapers and the real selling prices of these materials. Some persons might be in favour of trying to obtain an advance of wages by the force of a strike and entering into a labour conflict but the old association would endeavour to show their employers that their demand was reasonable and just, and they would, on the other hand give the employers a chance to argue their side of the question. The old association intended to keep working and not let this bird they had in hand fly away while they were attempting to catch another in the bush.
According to Mr.Wynne’s (Government inspector) report for 1879 there were employed underground in North Staffordshire 113 boys between 12 and 13 years of age; thirteen to sixteen 1.120; above sixteen 11.380; total number employed underground 13.063; above ground the total number employed about the pits was 3.845; employed above and below ground 16.908; there was raised 4.140.299 tons of coal and 1.756.450 tons of ironstone.